It's About Us

The ‘me first’ attitude that prevails when our society talks about money is a big reason why we continue to expect to make our living at the expense of the underprivileged and the environment. I know the majority of people I see out there equate socialism as being one step away from communism and see it as nothing but an excuse for a free handout. Yet at the same time they are cool with our government giving billions away to subsidize corporations. These same corporations fund the politicians who are giving them the free handouts so I totally get why the politicians are doing it. What I don’t understand is why those of us who are not getting the free handout are also cool with what our politicians are doing - especially when you consider how loud the public outcry is if the government dare consider sending some funding to the poor to help them get a foothold.

I am now seeing the same ‘me first’ attitude when people talk about the coronavirus - moron politicians included. People are complaining about the inconvenience of the looming pandemic and can’t understand why it is such a big deal when so few people are dying of it.

They are missing the point. A lot of sick and immune-compromised people are dying from it - an awful lot. Trying to control the outbreak is not about you, it is about us. If we all pull together to avoid getting infected, we will save countless lives of people who do not have our immune system and who are already battling other ailments. It is no different when it comes to getting your annual flu shot. It is not all about you and preventing you from getting sick - it is about the others who will also get exposed if you get sick and who cannot afford to take on that battle.

“Our hearts clearly see our own interests but they are completely blind to other people’s interests.” - Bangambiki Habyarimana